By Akinwale Kasali
Helpless and hapless Nigerians are lamenting the influx of fake products in the market which has resulted in several deaths in the country. They, also, say it raises concerns on the effectiveness of the the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.
The rise in fake products in the markets has led to a heated debate on Social Media, as Netizens took to X (former Twitter) to vent their anger on the ineffectiveness of NAFDAC in curtailing the widespread of fake products in the market.
The discourse was kicked off by X user, @Aimalohi6, who alerted Nigerians to a certain soy sauce brand that has been seeing a spike in knockoffs lately.
The tweet read in part, “New discovery there is AMOY, AMOYS, AMOI, AMQY, AMOY’c oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce brands in Nigeria. The original brand is AMOY without the s. Every other brand is fake, good stores are selling the fakes. No idea where to get the original.”
The post gained traction on Monday after several consumers commented on the post by sharing pictures of dupes they bought from supermarkets.
Other tweeps also began to post imitations of popular wine brands, non-alcoholic drinks, chocolates, toothpaste, soap, milk, and other household goods.
Netizens further demanded that a national investigation into the rise in these counterfeit goods be launched by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control as well as other relevant agencies.
“Aside from drinks, ingredients used in cooking can kill us. @NafdacAgency please and please do the needful, AMOY is AMOY no s, c or i. It’s not only drinks you go after, please go after these brands😤😤 AMOY is AMOY help the food industry. @capanigeria,” @Aimalohi6 wrote
Popular Medical Doctor and influencer, Dr Chinonso Egemba, @aproko_doctor also wrote, “Yes, drinking water is perfect for you but giving people fake soda and alcohol is wickedness. There’s a need to clamp down further on these people, this is most likely just the tip of an entire syndicate. No quality control, harmful materials etc.”
Another X user, @enodamade wrote, “It’s time for NAFDAC and SON to rise to the occasion and sanitise our consumption space!
We are dying needless deaths because of these fake products!”
The trend of fake goods being marketed to Nigerian consumers as real has continued to raise concerns in recent times.
Earlier in December, Daniel Benson, a Nigerian Afrobeats singer professionally known as BNXN threatened to call out certain clubs serving fake drinks.
“Respect my health, respect my money. Give me what I pay for. If you don’t have it, don’t bring a fake one. The next club or lounge that does this to me, I promise I will take that microphone from the hypeman and let you know,” he tweeted.
Last week, NAFDAC officials shut down the Cemetery Market in Aba, Abia State and arrested 10 suspects allegedly involved in the production of adulterated beverages.
Speaking with newsmen after the raid, the Director of, the Southeast Zone of NAFDAC, Martins Iluyomade compared the actions of the suspects to terrorism.
He said, “What’s happening here at Cemetery Market, Aba is worse than Boko Haram.
“We saw how many shops were converted into manufacturing centres for all manner of wines, expensive drinks, and revalidation of the expiry date of products.
“We have the cooperation of the state government and so far we have discovered 240 shops used for this illegal manufacturing of fake consumables and about 10 persons have been arrested and the arrests are still ongoing.”
